5. The Horned King
Starting the list is one of Disney's lesser known but terrifying villains, the Horned King is the main antagonist of the 1985 Animated film The Black Cauldron. While the film itself is well animated, the story isn't particularly engaging and the protagonists aren't very interesting, the one aspect that stands out is the Horned King himself. Being voiced by veteran British actor John Hurt, every scene he is in has a very dark and menacing atmosphere thanks to his menacing voice and gruesome skeletal appearance. Through out the film the King and his army of thugs, war dogs, and dragons are searching for the titular Black Cauldron so that he can raise an army of the dead and conquer the world. By the end of the film her has nearly succeeded in his goal but is of course stopped by the heroes, resulting in one of the most horrific villains deaths I've seen in a Disney film. Standing out more than any of the other characters in the film, the Horned King is really the only reason why I suggest watching the film, just to see how menacing he really is.
4. Percival C. McLeach
Continuing with lesser known Disney villains, Mcleach is the primary villain of Disney's 1990 animated film The Rescuers Down Under. The film direct sequel to Disney's 1977 animated film The Rescuers where a pair of Mice named Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Bianca (Eva Gabor) save a young girl from two criminals. The first is okay for the most part, I felt the sequel surpassed it in many different aspects, McLeach being one of the them. McLeach is a wanted poacher hunting wildlife in the Australian wilderness with his vicious but highly incompetent companion Joanna the monitor lizard. Early in the film McLeach kidnaps a young boy name Cody who has befriended a Giant Golden Eagle named Marahute and attempts to get him to reveal where the eagle has her nest. Despite not having any supernatural powers like many other Disney villains, McLeach is still very intimidating and brutal due to is massive amount of hunting gear and his willingness to harm or murder a young boy just to find an eagles nest. This personality is thanks to McLeach being voiced by Academy-Award winning actor George C. Scott, an actor well-known for his intense acting. Despite ending up dead like many other Disney villains, McLeach manages to leave a deep impact with anyone who watches this film.
3. Yzma
Next up, one of the more recent additions to the roster of Disney villains, is Yzma the main antagonist of Disney first animated film of the new millennium The Emperor's New Groove. Starting the film as adviser to the film's protagonist, a term used loosely by some, Emperor Kuzco. She is fired in the first act after making several political decisions behind the Emperor's consent to do so. Seeking revenge, Yzma invites Kuzco over for dinner and has her bumbling, yet kind-hearted minion Kronk (Patrick Warburton) poison his drink. Unfortunately he is instead turned into a llama, thanks to Kronk grabbing the wrong vile from her "secret" lab resulting is an unconscious Kuzco being sent out of his own kingdom. While not as intimidating as the Horned King or McLeach, what makes Yzma such a great villain is that while she is a powerful alchemist, she is also very comedic and usually ends up in a humiliating situation usually thanks to Kronk. It is also helped that she is voiced by singer Eartha Kitt, who manages to put in a wonderful performance as the power-mad adviser. In a older version of the film she actually did have a song called Snuff out the Light, but was sadly cut when the film was retooled. If you haven't seen the film yet, I'd highly recommend it for anyone who loves over-the-top dramatic villains with a little bit of a comedic edge thrown in.
2. Hades
Though there are several Disney villains that are based on real life people, Hades is probably the only one based on an ancient Greek deity, that being the God of the Underworld of the same name. The main antagonist of the 1997 animated film Hercules, Hades is the short-tempered but quick-witted ruler of the Underworld. Being tired of ruling over the land of the dead, Hades plans on releasing he legendary and powerful Titans upon Zeus and the other Greek gods to become the ruler of all creation. Being voiced by Golden Globe winner James Woods Hades is depicted as being very charismatic with a very short fuse when anyone upsets him, though this mostly happens with his two henchmen Pain (Bobcat Goldthwaith) and Panic (Matt Frewer.) Though he could have been depicted as a more serious villain, like Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, it was decided to have him have a comedic side while still being an intimidating force with the amount of power he has and the short temper shown throughout the film. Since Hades was so popular after the films debut, he has consistently been included in the main line-up of the Disney Villain label with others such as Captain Hook and Ursula the Sea-Witch.
1. Professor Ratigan
Since I became a fan of Disney when I was a child, the villain of the film was the one aspect that stood out the most whenever I watched one of them. When I first watched The Great Mouse Detective I had no clue that I was in store for who is my all time favorite Disney villain: Professor Ratigan. The best way to describe is that he is very much like the Joker from Batman, but much more sophisticated and level headed when committing a crime. Early in the film he points out that he enjoys being as evil and nasty as possible no matter who gets hurt in the process, even if it's one of his own minions. In the film, Ratigan is the arch-nemesis of Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham), the films primary protagonist, who has managed to evade capture for many years. His villainous plan for the film is to replace the Mouse Queen with a "puppet" and rule with an iron fist over all mice. The key factors that make Ratigan such a likable and great villain is that he is shown to incredibly evil but very charming and charismatic and also being voiced by renowned horror actor Vincent Price. I liked him for both these reasons and that like other Disney villains, he can be both very thematic and comedic while also being incredibly intimidating and scary at times. He also has what I consider to be one of the most underrated villain songs in a Disney film called The World's Greatest Criminal Mind. Sadly because he is not as well known as other villains, many people sometimes over look him for others, but I'm sure in time he will become just as popular as the other villains.
Now that you know my favorite Disney villains, I would love to hear who your favorites are. Like a persons taste in films, everyone has characters that they love so feel free to leave a comment and let me know. So until next time, I bid you Good Day.
Photo Credit: Disney Wiki
